Little Sister
by WriterBlack
Summary: May Kristin West was born on a beautiful summer morning. The weather was perfect and birds were singing. Sun light was beaming softly through the white hospital curtains illuminating the pale baby's face, as if God himself was smiling down on this tiny angel. This is the story of the little sister of Kid Flash and how she found her place. WARNING for Child Abuse and language
1. Chapter 1

May Kristin West was born on a beautiful summer morning. The weather was perfect and birds were singing. Sun light was beaming softly through the white hospital curtains illuminating the pale baby's face, as if God himself was smiling down on this tiny angel. Mary West held her daughter with so much joy in her heart. She was just as happy when Wally was born yet she always wanted a little girl to love. A little girl who could go to the salon with her, someone she could mentor, a little girl she could teach all about boys, and yet…she could tell something was not quite right. While the child herself was beyond perfect, the energy coming from her easily angered husband, Rudolph West, was eerie. Mary cooed and cuddled the swaddled bundle, Rudolph was hesitant to even touch the child, the opposite reaction he had when Wally was born. When Wally was born Rudolph was more than excited, he was nearly prancing around the room talking about how his son would be the smartest and toughest boy in school and make them proud parents. Yet now he was silent, forcing a smile for the people in the room. Mary knew he wanted another boy, but could he really hold resentment towards a baby? The thought quickly left her mind as her 5 year old son, Wallace West, came running into the hospital room.

"Wally, come meet your new baby sister." Mary kept her voice quiet as to not disturb the sleeping baby. Hesitant, yet smiling, the toddler perched on his toes to get a better view of the waking bundle. Mary pulled the pink cotton blanket away from the baby's face to allow the boy a better view. As soon as Wally looked into those watery emerald green eyes he knew he would be her protector, he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, that was his job as the older brother. May was fragile, soft, and adorable, he wants her to stay that way forever. This was the moment Wally vowed to be the best big brother he could. They would grow up together, play together and would be each others best friends, he couldn't wait until she was old enough to play in his tree house with him.

A year and a half passed and the West family reunion was in preparation. Mary was running around the kitchen tossing salads and icing cupcakes and Rudolph was marinating meat and warming the grill. Wally sat on the living room couch with one year old May on his lap, being sure to stay out of his parents way. The two were enthralled in a TV show about a purple dinosaur when May started to cry.

"Hey, May, what's a matter? Are you hungry?" Wally looked down at the pink squirming baby.

"Wally? What's wrong?" Mary popped her head into the living room.

"I don't know." The six year old Wally handed the baby to his mother.

"I'll take care of her, why don't you go finish up in the kitchen."

"Yes ma'am!" Wally was happy to get off his butt and move around.

"My goodness it looks like someones cranky." Mary bounced the bawling baby on her hip, bringing her up to the nursery for a nap. Only three minutes passed before Mary was back downstairs helping her son finish the food with May fast asleep upstairs.

"Is she okay?" Mary chuckled at her sons over protective behavior.

"She's fine, just tired." Wally tilted his head confused.

"But she didn't do anything. How can she be tired?" This caused Mary to giggle at the child's innocent eyes.

"Baby's have to sleep a lot more than grown ups, they have quite a bit of growing to do so their body's get pretty tired."

"Oh, is that why I used to have nap time?" Mary ruffled her sons bright red hair.

"That's right sweetheart."

"So since I'm not a baby anymore and I don't have nap time, does that mean I don't need a bedtime either?"

"Nice try, Wally."

An hour passes and some guests have already shown up, the party starts with cousins, grandparents and a lot of food. However there were two more guests Mary and Rudolph were expecting that have yet to arrive. At least until the doorbell rings. Mary rushes to the door, excited to welcome the new arrivals.

"Iris!" In the doorway stood a young woman no more than twenty five with red pony tail and a tall blonde man on her arm.

"Mary!" The two excited women hug and the young gentleman looked a bit out of place and felt more than awkward as the ladies started to gossip. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Mary this is my husband, Barry Allen."

"Ah! The mystery man finally reveals himself, how was the wedding?" Barry stepped into the house following the women into the kitchen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. West, and the wedding was wonderful thank you for asking." Barry was an incredibly friendly man with a smile that could melt hearts.

"Please call me Mary, I'm not that old yet." The three adults laughed.

"I wish you could've been there Mary." A solemn look passed Mary's face at Iris' regret.

"So do I but you know Rudolph, he does whatever his father does and unfortunately Ira was not so keen on the idea of you getting married so young."

"I swear I love that man but I won't forgive him for ostracizing Barry without even meeting him." Barry once again felt very awkward.

"Come on Iris, let's try to get on their good side while we're here." His smile working over the red head woman.

"You're right Barry, let's get this over with and say hi to everyone." Just as the three were leaving through the back door into the backyard a young boy came running in bumping into Barry and spilling his soda on the blonde's polo shirt.

"Wally!"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Um…who are you?"

"Wally! Be polite, this is your new uncle, your Aunt Iris' husband." Mary rushed to dry the spill before it stained, Barry on the other hand could care less. He was more focused on the furious mustached man grabbing his son by the arm, yanking him away from the adults. Barry knew the women were talking to him but he channeled them out listening to the yelling man.

"Damnit Wallace! What did I tell you!? You are not supposed to be running around like a lunatic and so help me God if you say 'The Flash runs around' one more time then you won't leave your room for a week!"

"Barry?"

"Huh?" Barry turned to find his wife looking at him and Mary holding a clean shirt.

"Mary said you can borrow Rudolph's old shirt while she washes yours."

"Oh, thank you Mary, thats very kind." Barry slips on the old t-shirt, giving the polo to Mary for her to throw in the wash. "Iris, who is that kid?"

"Oh, that's Wally, Mary and Rudolphs little boy."

"Then I assume that man yelling at him…"

"Is Rudolph, yeah." Just as the two looked over again at the young boy and his angered father Wally was sobbing quickly making his way through the living room and up the stairs. "Poor Wally. Maybe I should talk to him, I know he always liked me." Barry chuckled at Iris' statement.

"Who couldn't like you?" Iris bumped him with her elbow.

"Oh hush you." Before Iris had the chance to follow her nephew Rudolph approached.

"I'm sorry, he's young and very clumsy. You must be Barry?" The polite mask Rudolph held was obvious and Barry hated it, but he played the game for his new wife.

"Yes sir, it's a pleasure to meet you, and don't worry he's just a kid, it's really not a problem."

"Yeah Rudy, he looked really upset. Did you have to be so hard on him?" Iris chastised.

"Unfortunately, I did. Otherwise he'd never learn." Silence overtook them and before another could speak a baby's cries could be faintly heard over the party outside. "Crap. I was hoping she'd sleep through the whole party."

"Oh! That must be your new baby! May right?" Iris was excited to meet the new member but was disconcerted at Rudolphs every growing annoyance.

"Yeah, she's a little over a year old now. Poor Mary's been taking care of her nonstop. I swear she's more trouble than Wally when he was a baby." Iris laughed pretending it was a joke but Barry knew better. He decided to interrupt before Rudolph got to angered by the crying of both his children.

"Well, all babies are different. Maybe you and I could grab a beer, huh?"

"Please." The two men left leaving Iris alone in the kitchen. From the corner of her eye she saw Mary running around trying to get people drinks, serve food and now the crying of her baby had her distracted. Iris approached the frantic woman.

"I'll go check on her Mary, don't worry."

"Thank you Iris! You're a life saver! If she's hungry there's formula in the fridge." Mary continued to run around more efficiently now that Iris was taking care of May. Iris went up stairs and listened for the ever growing baby wails, finding her room at the end of the hall. Opening the door she found the little orange haired baby reaching up and looking for attention. Iris was happy to oblige.

"Poor baby, you just want some lovin'." Iris cradled the child until her cries turned to coo's. Iris never held a baby so precious before. May's bright green eyes sparkled from the remaining tears as she relaxed into the mysterious woman's arms. "Wanna come downstairs and join the party?" Iris playful voice and tiny bounce got a small smile and giggle out of the baby. "I'll take that as a yes." Iris took the child through the hall and now that May had stopped crying she could hear another small whimper, it must be Wally. Iris knew which door was his and knocked with her hand not cradling the baby's head. "Wally? It's Aunt Iris, are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." His voice was scratchy and shaky, making it obvious he was not alright. However she didn't want to pry and decided to let him try to relax on his own, she'd come back if he wasn't down within the hour.

"Okay sweetheart." Iris said softly through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Iris walked back into the kitchen seeing Mary now relaxing with a woman Iris didn't know, most likely a cousin.

"Oh you brought May down, thank you for checking on her." Mary took the bundle into her arms wanting to show off her baby to the cousin.

"It was no problem, little girl was just lonely." Hearing this Mary snuggled her cheek to the baby.

"Aw, I'm sorry baby, Mommy's been busy." Iris chuckled to herself and went to go find her husband in the backyard while Mary and the cousin played with the baby.

"Iris!" From within a group of rowdy men came Barry happy to see his wife back. "Thank God you're back, these men are a bit too much for me."

"Of course they are, half of them work construction and you're a forensic scientist." The two laughed together.

"So hows Wally."

"He said he was fine which I don't believe but I wanted to take care of May to help Mary a bit, so I didn't pry."

"Hm, poor guy, Rudolph's a tough one."

"Maybe you could try talking to him." Shock passed through Barry.

"To Rudolph?!"

"No, to Wally. You were always really good with kids, besides maybe you could bond over a certain red speedster."

"Kid's a Flash fan?" Iris took her husband by the arm leading him back towards the house.

"More than you know." Iris giggled "His doors the first one to the right of the upstairs bathroom." Iris pushed her husband forward, ignoring his hesitation.

Barry slowly ascended the stair nervous to meet his nephew. He immediately found the door and hesitantly knocked once, hoping the child wouldn't respond.

"Who is it?" The voice was so quiet Barry could barely hear it.

"Uh, it's your, um…Uncle Barry. Can I come in?" Barry was shocked to hear a quiet and muffled 'sure'. Slowly, as too not hit anything that might be in the way of the door, Barry opened the door. The room was dark with a single lit lamp by the bedside. The shades were closed and curled into a ball at the head of the bed was a little red head boy. Barry was surprised to see Flash posters and paraphernalia adorning the walls and shelves.

"Hey kid, you really like this guy, huh?" He picks up an action figure of his other identity, smiling at the idealized body shape.

"Yeah, he's okay." Wallys voice was quiet and muffled by his hidden face. Barry felt he already hit a wall in the conversation, so he decided to just get to the heart of the matter. Sitting on the side of the bed Barry turned to Wally, keeping his voice soft and empathetic.

"Your dads pretty strict, huh?"

"Yeah, I don't think he likes me very much."

"Come on kid, don't say that. Your dad loves you a lot, he's just stressed out from all the people here." Wally shrugs.

"I guess."

"Do you guys ever play together?" Wally perked up a bit.

"Yeah, he plays baseball with me and taught me how to throw a football." Barry smiled.

"See! He likes you kid, he just has a lot on his plate at the moment."

"I should probably apologize, shouldn't I?"

"I think he'd like that." Wally hopped off the bed wiping the tears off his face.

"Okay, thanks, Uncle Barry." Barry was warmed to hear the small voice happier and to know that he had a nephew that trusted him.

"No problem kid." Barry walked with him down the stairs with his hand on Wallys back. Wally looked back and smiled at his uncle before running off to the backyard to find his father. Meanwhile Iris comes up behind Barry, hugging his arm close.

"Wow, I'm impressed."

"Yeah, who knew the kid was so quick to change attitudes."

"That's Wally, ever the lover, never a fighter." The rest of the night was filled with pleasantries and touch tackle football with the occasional break for BBQ ribs and strawberry cupcakes, an overall happy event.

Three years passed and Wally gained his powers of a speedster joining his uncle in the superhero life. May admired her brother through it all, she smiled around him all the time and spent as much as time as possible with him, knowing that whatever free time he had would most likely be spent training. Not only that, but any time that Wally was home, Rudolph left her alone, unfortunately for May, today was a training day for her protective brother.

"Damn brat!"

"Rudolph please! She didn't know!"

"Well it's your job to make sure she knows! I come home, I get my beer, I watch the game! I don't ask for much here! How can she fuck that up!? She's a selfish brat!" Rudolph held Mays upper arm in a tight grasp while Mary tried to calm her raging husband.

"She's sorry Rudolph, she's just tired—"

"I'm tired!" He throws May to the ground making sure it hurts.

"May!" Mary rushed to her four year old daughter. May only cried and started to wail unsure of why her father was causing her pain.

"Shut up!" Rudolph stood over both of them, completely red.

"Please May, quiet down, it's alright, you're okay."

"Don't baby her Mary, she needs to learn from her mistakes. She's gotta know that cryin' ain't gonna solve anything!" Suddenly Rudolph grabs May again, practically dragging her up the stairs into her room. Mary chases him only for him to slam the door in her face locking her outside.

"Rudolph please! She's a child!" Mary banged on the door, doing whatever she could to save her daughter from her fate. May was thrown into the wall of her bedroom, knocking down a fame hanging above her. Luckily it did not break when it landed on her head but the corner of the wood managed to cut May's tender temple.

"Daddy, please stop!"

"Shut up!" May only felt the sting on her face, not understanding what had happened until she saw Rudolphs raised hand. "You're a bad girl, so you get punished. I've told you time and again not to bother me, you are supposed to stay in your room and shut up. Turn around, bed over the bed." May was so tiny that she could only rest her head on the comforter. She could here the unbuckling of a belt then a pop of leather against flesh. For the next ten minutes the house was filled with the wails of a child and the cracking of a makeshift leather whip.

When Rudolph felt a sufficient punishment was dealt he returned his belt to the loops in his pants and stared at the quietly weeping toddler. "Now you know better. Get cleaned up for dinner." He spoke as if disgusted by the child, leaving her alone curled in a small ball on the floor silent sobs wracking her body.

In the kitchen was Mary, continuing to cook with tear tracks on her pale face. After three minutes of listening to her daughter cry Mary couldn't take it anymore and went to the kitchen attempting to ignore what was happening in her house.

"Go help you're daughter." The command was strict without care. Mary slowly went to her daughter and brought with her a bag of ice wrapped in a kitchen towel.

"May, sweetheart, are you okay?" Mary approached slowly but still May flinched at every moment. "I know it hurts sweetie, here, let me put some ice on your back." Her hands were careful like a mothers, gently pulling up the back of Mays shirt and laying ice on the raised lashes. Downstairs there was the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"I'm home!" Wally had been out all day after school training with his uncle. Ever since he got his powers the eldest child had rarely been home during the day, leaving him completely unaware of his fathers abusive relationship with his little sister.

"There's my boy. How'd it go?"

"Great! I lowered my track time by point zero five seconds! I'm getting so fast and we worked on hand to hand combat too!" Rudolph laid his hand on Wallys shoulder.

"Look at you! My boys so strong! I'm proud of you son."

"Thanks dad!" The two continued the conversation and enjoyed some potato chips while watching TV. About fifteen minutes later Mary and May come downstairs and head to the kitchen.

"Come on boys, dinner's ready. May would you set the table?"

"Yes mama." Wally noticed the dejected tone of his little sisters voice and turned to his dad.

"Dad, is May okay? She sounds sad." Rudolph flashed his son a smile and patted his head.

"Don't worry son, she just fell off her bed today and hurt her back, but she'll be just fine."

"Oh no! I bet I can make her feel better!" The family of four sat down for dinner. Only sounds of scratching silverware and slinking dished were heard, until Wally spoke up. "Hey May, I heard you fell today, does your back still hurt?" May looked slightly confused until she saw the daggers glaring at her from her father.

"Yeah…I was a bad girl, and got hurt."

"Hey it's okay, we all make mistakes sometimes. How about we watch your favorite show together and I'll read you a bedtime story!" Any time spent with her brother was enjoyable, so May ignored the pain and flashed a big happy smile.

"That sounds fun! Thanks Wally!" The siblings continued to joke and have fun and when dinner was over they continued with their plans until May lay fast asleep in her pastel purple sheets.

Behind closed doors no one would ever expect the loving father of two to be abusing his sweet little daughter. While she was constantly being verbally abused, she was good at getting out of the house and away from her father. Her Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris were her best friends, besides her brother. Nearly every weekend Aunt Iris would pick her up in her silver Subaru and drive the two of them to Iris' house where they could sit, watch a movie and forget about the world, with her speedster Uncle joining them every now and again. Spending time with them felt more like a family compared to her life at home, for this she felt guilty. May loved her brother, always has and always will. Yet, she felt like he should be able to realize what's going on. _Thats not fair._ May would think to herself. _How could I expect him to see it when I hide the bruises so well…_ She would continue the charade as she could not bring herself to destroy the family Wally loved so much. Rudolph loves him and is so proud of Wally, she won't ruin that for him…he deserves better than a messed up failure like her…and so the act goes on.

As May reaches 13 years old Barry starts to notice something strange. The young girl who wore bright colors and sun dresses that accentuated her bright smile started to wear sweaters and jeans even in the hottest weather. Not only this but he also started to notice her mind wandering off. She often had a distant stare and didn't hear when people were talking to her or she just nodded or shook her head instead of being her usual chatty self. Even her beautiful smile full of perfect white teeth began to fade and the smiles she did produce where clearly forced. At first Barry thought it was because Wally moved out and hasn't spent as much time with her as he used to when they were kids. While that explained the pulled back behavior it did not explain the clothing, the slowness in her step nor the involuntary wincing at any sudden movement.

Having a loving relationship with his wife, Barry brings up his concerns with Iris only to have her go up in panic about her favorite niece being depressed or even slightly upset. With Iris more than concerned Barry decides to bring it up with said niece. That weekend he drove her to his house and sat her down on the couch with Iris sitting next to her and Barry on the chair across from them. It was May, her small body lost in a cream sweater, who broke the silence.

"Ummm… why do you guys look so upset? Did I do something wrong?"

Iris took her petite hands in her larger ones and forced a small smile.

"No sweetheart you didn't do anything wrong. It's just… you're Uncle Barry and I have been a little concerned about your behavior lately."

"I'm sorry I try to behave as best as can, I can be more quiet if you want me to." Iris and Barry share a look.

"That's just it sweetheart, you're too quiet. A child your age should be loud carefree, but you just seem so shut out all the time." May didn't know what to say. She was trying to be well behaved, out of fear of her fathers wrath, should he hear about her misbehaving, how could she have been too quiet?

"May? Are you okay? You look tense." Barry chimed in growing more concerned as May looked less and less lively.

"Listen May. If there is something going on…" Iris reached for May's face to tuck her hair away from her eyes.

"NO!" A sharp burst came from May as she took and started to back away from the couch. "Nothings wrong!" she shouts quickly calming herself from her outburst.

"What you just did is making me think other wise." Not only is Barry well aware of body signals but he also knows fear when he sees it. "Are you afraid of something? Whatever it is we won't judge you, you know that. We love you and want to help." His calming voice took away the tension and calmed the nerves of everyone in the room.

May stood against the wall looking at the ground contemplating her next move and where it would take her. Thoughts were racing through her head until she came to a final conclusion. _Wally and Uncle Barry are both superheroes. They're so brave and fight so many bad guys to protect innocent people. They have suffered so much more in comparison to what I'm going through. I'll tough it out. I can be just as strong as them! I can prove that Im worth something._

May looks up with a smile on her face and blushing cheeks. "Everything is okay, really! I've just been having some bad nightmares. I'll be alright. I swear! I'm tough!" she states as she flexes her tiny biceps.

The couple looked at each other with doubt, both silent until Iris spoke up.

"Okay then. We believe you. Whatever nightmares you are having we both know you are strong enough to fight them, but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone." Iris bent down to May's level and took her face in her hands. "You are a very special little girl, May. We both love you with all our hearts and if you ever need help with anything at all you come right to us, alright?"

"I will Aunt Iris. Sorry for worrying you guys."

"It's okay May. Just promise us you'll tell us if there is anything you can't handle. You're not alone." That one statement spoken by her uncle shattered the glass. ' _You're not alone_ '. The sentence repeating in May's head over and over again until she had enough.

"Hey, um, I have a lot of homework to do. Do you mind taking me home Uncle Barry?"

"Sure thing Mayflower." Her uncles nickname for her was only making her feel worse. Not only has she lied to them, she also feels like she is betraying them by not revealing the truth of her situation. At that moment though it doesn't matter. May pushes those thoughts to the back of her head and scoots into the front seat of Barry's car to head home.


	3. Chapter 3

It has only been 2 weeks since the conversation between aunt, uncle and niece, and already she felt like breaking. May sits on her baby blue sheets and hugs her pink Teddy Bear to her chest, a gift Wally bought her years ago. She rocks back and forth trying the keep the tears at bay. Her bloody eye says it all. Her father was careless. Normally he would her bruises would be hidden, carefully placed in places people wouldn't see them. Legs, arms, chest, back, places that could be covered. It's hard to cover a bloody swollen eye and so, as ordered by her father, May stayed inside and in her room, away from any visibility.

May gazes at the clock and notices the time, 11:30, she missed dinner, so she slowly gets out of bed and sneaks downstairs to get some food. As she makes her way down the steps she hears the TV chanting as some protest was on the news. Hoping it was her mother on the couch she looks further down to notice it is her father passed out with his 7th bottle of beer in hand. Hoping that he stays unconscious she tiptoes past him and into the kitchen where she scavenges the fridge for anything to eat. After a few minutes of stuffing her face and feeling nice and full May sneaks past her father again and has her foot on the first step of the stairs when a bottle exploded right behind her head. "Why in the hell are you down here?" May turns her head to see her father turned in his chair and staring daggers into her. May is so terrified she is speechless and her mouth hangs open with a look of pure fear. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?" Rudolph stand with a stagger in his step, most likely from the beer, and stalks his way to May on the stairway. In an attempt to quell his rage May was quick to say something.

"I'm sorry sir…I was hungry and I missed dinner so I just wanted something to eat. Im really sorry I didn't ask." Every word was rushed and May was careful not to stutter.

"Why the hell should I be bothered by you when it was your damn fault for missing dinner?"

"I couldn't come down because you told me to not let mom see my eye, it's your fault!" May quickly covered her mouth with her hands. _Oh no. What had she done! Her father will surely punish her now._

 _"_ The hell did you say to me?" Rudolph yanked May by the collar of her t-shirt and slammed her against the wall forcing her to step on the broken glass behind her. May stifled her yelp of pain from the glass piercing her bare feet. Just as Rudolph was about to smack her a door opened upstairs. The sounds of the struggle must have woken her mother. Rudolph looks up the stairs with an annoyed look, his teeth clenched so hard May could hear them squeak. Out of the corner of her eye she sees her mother poke her head down the stairs and look at the two taking in the situation. After a few seconds of silence she finally speaks.

"Is everything alright?" Mary knew very well that everything was not alright, rather she was hoping by toning down the mood she could snuff out the fire inside Rudolph. Taking a breath Rudolph let's go of May.

"Yes. Everything is fine. Our little girl, however, thinks she can talk back to me and disrespect me. Do something about it…or I will." Those last words sent a shiver down May's spine.

"Don't worry dear I'll take care of it." Mary says sweetly as she leads May upstairs. May winces at every step from the glass imbedded in her feet. Once in May's room Mary sits May on the bed as she bends on a knee in front of her. "What happened?" May hides her face from her mother not wanting to sadden her with her bruised face. "May. Look at me." The mothers sweetness comes through and May has no choice but to look at her. Mary gasps as her hand covers her mouth. _Is it really that bad?_ "He did this?" May has no words. She simply nods her head. "How awful." A quick burst of hope floods May as she wonders if her mother is actually going to do something. _Is she gonna stop him?_ "This is why you must behave. You know how he gets." _Guess not._

"Yes ma'm."

"Well, let's get that cleaned up." As Mary stands and turns to fetch the first aid kit she notices the bloody footsteps on the ground. "What?" She turns back to May and only then does she notice the bloody and cut up feet. "Dear God." Mary leaves for a brief moment and returns with a wet cloth, some ice, a bottle of disinfectant and a roll of bandages. Mary holds May's head still and carefully dabs the blood from around her eye. Once the eye is clean Mary softly presses the ice pack to the eye. "Keep that there for a little while. Tomorrows a school day so before you leave come to my room and I'll cover the bruise for you."

"Ok." Next Mary attempted to care for the bleeding feet. She carefully picks out the small shards of glass with childlike mews from May. Thankfully the cuts aren't very deep and so the calmed mother dabs some disinfectant on the wounds and covers it in the bandages, little does she realize there are still bits of glass stuck inside poor May's feet. Mary kisses her forehead and closes the door on her way out. May lies on her back and sits the ice pack on her eye. Tears start to fall slowly and her eyes close as she falls asleep. Suddenly May awakes to the sound of a slamming door and heavy brutish footsteps. Still waking she is taken aback by her father crashing through her door.

"You damned snake!" Rudolph throws May on the ground and steps a heavy foot on her chest. "What did you tell your mother! Did you tell her I was evil! That this is all my fault!"

"I didn't say anything!" May cowers beneath her father barely able to speak with the air being squeezed from her chest.

"Lair! She told me she wont be able to keep quiet if I 'keep being so mean to you'!" He mocks Mary's motherly voice.

"I didn't! I swear! I was quiet!"

"Liar!" Rudolph kicks her in the gut repeatedly and once in the face just until blood starts to trickle from her small mouth.

"Dammnit Rudolph, stop this!" Shouts Mary as she comes running into the bedroom. Glancing down at her bleeding child Mary is quick to act and grabs the strong arm of her brute of a husband.

"Get away woman!" Rudolph throws her off of him and continues to keep hitting and kicking the small girl on the ground. May is containing her pained moans as Mary weeps in the corner. 10 minutes pass until Rudolph finally ceases his beatings. May is hardly hanging on to consciousness when Rudolph leaves the room. Mary had long since left, crying in her bedroom, attempting to drown out the banging. As soon as May hears her parents door close she struggles to her feet. Barely able to stifle her yelps of pain May limps down the stairs with nothing but her bloody pajamas and cell phone in her hand, the one she was able to grab out of Rudolph's pocket as he was distracted by his fierce anger. It takes her a while to finally reach the front door and make her way outside. It is 1 am so May doesn't have to worry about alerting passerby's with her appearance. She limps down the street and stops once she reaches the park by her house. Blood tracks down the street from her bleeding feet, the glass cutting deeper into her foot with every step. As soon as she catches her breath her stomach rejects whatever food she was able to get into her stomach that night. After about 10 minutes of dry heaving she is unable to go any further and is forced to do what she really didn't want to. Sitting on a rusted swing May opens the cell phone and goes to Rudolph's contacts scrolling down until she finds _Iris._ May hesitates, her instincts telling her what would happen if she betrayed and disobeyed her father. Her hands shake as she almost closes the phone, but a sudden case of frustration and anger towards her father force her to press the call button. Two rings later May nearly hangs up yet again when there is a tired voice on the other end.

"Rudy? Whats wrong?" May is still nervous and remains quiet. "Come on Rudy I'm tired, can't this wait until morning?"

"Aunt Iris?" May's voice is weak and her lungs barely able to hold enough breath to speak any more than two words.

"May? Are you okay?" Iris' voice is much more alert as her concern for her niece comes through through the phone. "May, talk to me. What's wrong?" Iris may not have kids but she knew it was always a bad sign when a child calls late at night.

"Um…Can I stay at your house tonight?" May waits for the denial and critical response, usually received from her father when she asks for anything.

"What? May, why? What's going on? Are you okay?" Iris' voice is still so sweet just like the flower that is her namesake.

"Um…well…I-I don't feel very good." Hesitant to tell her aunt the full extent of her injuries May hopes Iris understands her fear through her shaking voice.

"May, where is your mother? Why don't you-"

"No!" Quick to lower her voice May continues. "Please, Aunt Iris." Then in an almost inaudible voice, tears flowing down her cheeks May squeaks. "I need help."

"May. Sweetheart, where are you?"

"At the park…near my house."

"Okay. May stay right where you are, your uncle is gonna come get you. Alright?" After a few moments of silence Iris clutches her phone. "May?"

"I'm sorry."

"What?! No, no, no, no. Don't you apologize for anything. This is what we are here for sweetheart. Now you stay right where you are and stay on the phone with me until-"

"He's here."

"Ok sweetheart. I'll see you soon."

"Okay." May presses the end button on the phone and leaves it behind, not caring about what happens to her fathers device, and goes to meet her uncle who is slowing to a jog on the opposite street. She keeps her head down almost forgetting her bloodied body and face.

"May! May are you—my god." Barry's face drops immediately when he sees his broken niece. The sweet little girl he knew is now reduced to nothing but bloody pink polkadot rags and bruised flesh. Barry slowly approaches her and drops to his knees. With a strong and deep voice he pleads, "May. Tell me who did this. Who hurt you?" Her silence only fueled his growing rage for whoever dare hurt his little girl, though her tears forced him to comfort the child instead of focusing on said monster. "Okay, everything will be alright Mayflower, lets get you to my house and we can figure this all out." Leaving the topic alone until they reach his home he turns around and tells her to climb on his back. She does so with difficulty due to her wounds. Her tender uncle is quick to help and holds her tight as he speeds away.


	4. Chapter 4

She had fallen asleep during the voyage, truly exhausted, a strange phenomena as the speed of the hero would normally bring out adrenaline and excitement. Barry stops running at the end of his street and walks to rest of the way as to not draw attention to himself from any neighbors who might be awake. Iris opens the door for him, after pacing around the living room for half an hour, and gasps at the sight of her dear niece. Barry slowly and gently lays May onto the family room couch eliciting a pained moan from the slightly waking girl while Iris runs through the house gathering first aid and medical supplies.

"Ughhn…" May opens her emerald green eyes. "Uncle Barry? What's going on?"

Barry smoothly tucks a piece of red hair behind the girls ear. "Hey Mayflower, we're at my house. Do you remember what happened?" His voice was like a deep glass of milk that calmed the nerves and warmed the body.

"Yeah, kinda…I called you, didn't I?"

"That's right, well you called your Aunt Iris, but she sent me to pick you up and bring you here."

"Oh, ok." May wanted nothing but to close her eyes and fall into a blissful sleep yet again, unfortunately her uncle wouldn't allow it.

"Hey, Mayflower, I need you to stay awake for a bit, ok? Can you tell me what happened? Before I found you at the park?"

A quiet moment passed before May answered. "I can." Another moment of silence.

"But you don't want to. Huh?" Barry knew that this little girl was scared of something, traumatized, and he didn't want to push to hard and scare her off. May shakes her head. "That's okay. You don't have to tell me now." Barry kept his hand on the top of her head, brushing and petting her hair, allowing May a moment of relaxation and peace.

Iris returns with the kit normally used on an injured Barry when he comes home from being The Flash. Her mind tells her to worry and fret over the battered form, but her instincts tell her otherwise, forcing her into a serious mode of adrenaline and professionalism, focusing on treating her wounds.

"Barry get me a damp, warm cloth will you?" While Iris absolutely hated seeing May like this and wanted to scream and rant, she kept her voice soft and slow, aware of her niece now being awake.

"Sure." Barry walks quickly to the kitchen while Iris lifts up May's foot to gently dab away the blood with a cotton pad. Noticing the glass and not wanting to push it in further Iris abandons the gauze and instead lifts May's shirt to her ribs, curious as to why May was slowly curling in on herself, and gasps at the awful discoloration across her abdomen. Barry returns to the room to see tears welling up Iris' eyes. She could not longer stifle her motherly instincts to love and dote on the child. "May, sweetheart, what happened? Were you walking around with your feet like this?" Iris lifted her hand to May's face, careful of the bruises, to rub her finger on her cheek, offering whatever relief she could.

May curled into the comforting hand caressing her face. "I guess I kinda forgot about the glass until now, but that's okay, it doesn't really hurt."

May was always stronger than she gave herself credit for, braving through pain and working through hardships. Iris made it her responsibility to allow May to open up and release whatever emotions she was feeling. "Why were you at the park? Did you run away from home?"

Barry returned and saw May's internal struggle to answer the question. He hands Iris the damp warm cloth which she used to wipe tears and sweat from May's face. "For now let's just get her better. We'll keep her here and she'll tell us what happened when she's ready. Either way I'm not sending her back there." He hated to say it, but Barry never got a good feel from Rudolph. He never thought Wally or May were in any danger, but he wouldn't put it past him to be cruel to the children. This incident, unfortunately, proves that he was wrong to doubt Rudolphs ability to harm the kids. However, Wally never showed any injuries outside from his heroing business. Maybe May was the only target. After all, he never wanted a girl.

"Back there? What is that supposed to mean? Do you think something is going on at home?" Intentionally avoiding the question Barry moves onto the next topic.

"We should take her to the hospital." While they both knew something was not right inside the West's home, neither of them really wanted to accept that poor May was taking the brunt of the situation, but they had a silent agreement to not go into it in front of May. Iris let out a shaky sigh then sits May up to wrap her in a knitted blanket.

"Put her in the car. I'll go grab some clean clothes for her, and she'll probably want her pillow. Should I get her stuffed rabbit too? It's still at her house but maybe you can run ov—"

"Iris." Barry softly lays his hand on her shoulder. "She'll be alright." A caring smile appears on her husbands face as she calms her breathing.

"Alright. I'll meet you in the car." Iris runs up stairs as Barry carefully lifts May into his loving and strong arms.

"Uncle Barry?"

"Yeah, Mayflower?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For this, for everything, I didn't mean to bother you guys." Barry was gentle about sitting May in the car and showing her as much love as possible at that moment.

"Oh, Mayflower, you could never bother us. We love you and would do anything for you."

"I love you guys, too." Barry lay a simple kiss on her forehead.

A few short minutes later as Barry is buckling into the drivers seat Iris appears out of the house. Iris gets into the back seat with May, snuggling her in her arms while Barry starts the car. It's a 30 minute drive to the hospital and each minute makes the couples hearts beat faster and faster. Iris' heart was breaking at the sight of her bruised and bleeding niece who was falling asleep in her arms. At the same time Barry was thinking of the one man he thought capable of this. All the evidence pointed to him, her father, Rudolph West. There was a clear tension between the two and a character change within May occurred whenever she was around her father. Then slowly it changed her and the happy little girl Barry and Iris once knew was a past dream. The one thing he couldn't help but wonder is, did Wally know?

Finally the family arrived at the hospital and had to linger in the waiting room for a while before May could be checked out. The couple was asked to stay in the waiting room while May was being taken care of. While the Allen's waited a doctor appeared before them to question them about the incident. Answering all the questions to the best of their knowledge the couple looked at each other with the same thoughts in their heads, was this a case of abuse? Well, the doctor must have thought the same thing.

"So, let me get this straight, May called you from the park in Blue Alley, Nebraska and Mr Allen you somehow got in contact with the Flash and had him bring her to you here in Ohio." Questioned the doctor.

"I know it sounds strange, but I work with the police and he happened to owe me a favor so, ya know, and she told me not to call the police, not at the time anyway."

"Well, May told the same story," The story they all agreed upon in the car, "so this brings up a question she refuses to answer. Who did this to her? Aside from the fact that she is covered in bruises, some weeks old, she also has evidence of past broken bones. Medical records say they were accidents, but I'm starting to doubt that." Just before Iris or Barry could insert an opinion a police officer entered the conversation. "Sorry but I'm required to inform the police of any suspected abuse."

"Good." Iris was tired of teetering around the subject and decided to take a firm stand. While May had been asleep in the car Iris and Barry talked about what they thought was going on inside the West household, and came to a conclusion they weren't very happy with but needed to accept in order to help their little niece. "We think something is going on with her parents." Barry didn't think Iris would be the first to say it, it was her family after all.

The officer took out a pen and notebook. "What do you mean?"

"Recently we've noticed her wanting to get out of her house as much as possible. She avoids her father and has been really withdrawn for almost a year."

"Is that abnormal for her?"

"Completely. As a child she was so outgoing and spirited. I feel like she's a different person now." Barry voiced.

"Has she said anything to either of you?" Questioned the officer.

"No. She never says anything. Not about school, not about friends… not about home." Barry thought about how May never wanted to talk about other people, or about her life. She wanted to listen to Barry's stories and Iris' interesting happenings as a reporter. When she was younger she would tell everyone everything, sometimes making up fun stories to entertain the family, now she only ever wanted to listen, she never wanted to talk.

"He's right. May's emotional state has been going downhill for years now, it's concerning, and I hate to say it, but I really think it's her fathers fault. I love my brother, I do, but something's been off about him and May."

The officer continued to write in his pad. "What about Mrs West? How's her relationship with May?"

Iris thought back to when Mary showed her love for her only daughter. "Mary used to dote on May, she bought her all the latest fashions and toys and spent nearly every weekend doing something fun, but while Rudolph seems to get angry at her Mary just seems to ignore her all together."

"I see. Well I have no doubts of your honesty, but as far as I can tell we have no actual proof of this abuse coming from Mr West. Your niece refuses to tell us who did it and until she does we can't make any arrests, or acquire any warrants. We will question him of course but until we can find satisfactory evidence to show the court there is not much we can do. I'm sorry." Iris' eyes began to build with furry and Barry was quick to hold her in his arms. "Don't worry we will not let this go. Someone will be punished for this eventually. Right now we just have to find proof, but I'm sure after a thorough investigation and questioning I have no doubts this will be solved quickly, and you can help by talking to your niece and convincing her to tell us the truth of what happened, and what's been happening."

"Thank you officer." Barry says as he holds his wife.

Iris turns to the doctor. "Can we see her now?"

"Of course. She's awake and I'm sure she could use some love right now." The doctor, while at first very serious, smiles a bit with the comfort of knowing this small girl is not alone, something this poor doctor has seen all to often.

May is panicking. _Everyone knows. Her father's gonna get in trouble…she's ruined the family. The happy picture everyone saw is broken. Wally is going to hate her. Her best friend. Her brother._ May curls herself into a ball on the white hospital bed. The stitches on her feet stretch as she pulls her legs to her chest. She let's out a soft sniffle as the door to her private room opens. Not wanting to see anyone right now May closes her eyes and refuses to look up at the visitors. A soft and motherly hand rests gently on her back.

"May? Sweetheart? Are you awake?" Knowing that voice anywhere May remains silent hoping her aunt will see her discomfort and leave.

"May." Her uncle is here too. "We know you're scared, and we only want to help. Tell us what happened." More silence as Barry places his hand softly on her red hair. "How long has this been going on?" More sniffling and silence. "Was it your father? Did he hurt you?" The stifled hiccup let's Barry and Iris know the truth.

"My poor baby." Iris' voice shakes as she climbs into the bed to pull May into her lap and cradles her head in her arms. "Please tell us exactly what happened. You need to tell the police so he can never do this to you again." May's crying got slightly louder. Barry walks over to the side May is facing and kneels down to look into her blushed face. He brushes the delicate strands of hair out of her face and speaks in a soft voice.

"May. Look at me." Nothing. "Come on Mayflower." The nickname gets her attention and May slowly looks up from her aunts chest. Her fear slowly dissipates as she sees the loving and small smile from her uncle.

"I'm sorry." Whatever smile Barry had on his face vanished as Iris looks up with tears in her eyes and mouth agape at Mays words. "It's my fault. If I did what he said he wouldn't have gotten mad. I was being bad." Iris took May's face in her hands and turned her to look Iris in the eye.

"No. There is no reasoning behind this. He did it because he's a monster. No father should ever do this. Disciplining your child is sending them to their room or taking away their toys not beating them, not hurting them." From the look on May's face the couple could tell she didn't believe her aunt. "May West, you are a beautiful, kind, loving and wonderful little girl. Nothing you could do would ever justify this. Do you understand?" After a few moments of silence May slowly nods her head. Iris pulls her niece back to her chest and smooths the top of her head.

"Mayflower, can you tell the police who did this to you?" Silence. "If you want things to change. to stop, you have to tell them. They're going to find out eventually, so if you're afraid of your fathers reaction, don't be, we'll protect you." Barry offers a small smile of assurance. Silence. Then another small nod. "Okay." Barry slowly stands and leaves to bring the cop back. Once he returns with the officer May tells him every detail, every punch every slap, every burn from the age of 9 to the moment she ran from the house that night. Each word was harder and harder to say. The only way she was able to continue was the constant squeeze from Uncle Barry's hand and Aunt Iris' warm hugging. At this point she wasn't doing it for her, she was doing it for them.

After May was done talking the doctor came in and took pictures of her injuries as evidence. Barry left the room, but Iris was allowed to stay to keep May calm and comforted during the photos. The scars from cigarette burns were something that Iris didn't notice. They were on her back mostly and were few enough to look like moles or birthmarks at a quick glance. The cop left satisfied and determined to make the arrest that morning.


	5. Chapter 5

It was now six in the morning and May was starting to fall asleep after the long night she's had. "You did good today Mayflower, I'm so proud of you." Barry's voice was quiet, worried any sudden noises or movements might frighten his little girl. "You've had a long night, get some rest okay, sleep as long as you need to." May closed her eyes and let blissful sleep claim her as her uncle carded his fingers through her red bangs.

The hospital wanted to keep May for another day or so to make sure there were no complications from her battered abdomen. Iris, now sitting on a chair next to the bed, tucks May into the thin sheets. The loose hospital gown given to her was not very thick so May started to shiver from the air conditioned room. Iris noticed this immediately and pulled a clean blanket out of her bag she brought from home, spreading it over the small shaking figure.

"There you go sweetheart. You let us know if you need anything else, okay?" Iris notices May doesn't move. _She must already be asleep._ Deep breathes and relaxed muscles take over the young girl showing the couple her deep sleep. Barry pulls Iris out of the room and still quiet, speaks to her.

"We need to call Wally."

"I know…I…I just don't know how to tell him." Iris wraps her arms around herself shuddering at the thought of her nephew breaking down with heartache. Wally only ever saw the good parts of his family, he was often never home enough to notice any familial issues.

"I'll take care of it. You stay with May." Says Barry. Iris nods and walks back into the hospital room. Barry pulls out his phone and briefly hesitates. He takes a few deep breathes and then dials Wally's phone. _It's the middle of the week and mid morning hopefully he has class_ —

"Hello?" Wally's energetic voice pulls Barry out of his thoughts and he suddenly doesn't know what to say. "Uncle Barry? Anyone there?" Barry snaps out of it and quickly responds before his nephew has the chance to hang up.

"Hey Wally."

"You sound pretty somber, you okay?" More hesitation. How does Barry even go about this?

"Something happened…with May." Before he can continue Wally's frantic voice fills his ear.

"Is she okay!? What happened? Barry talk to me!"

"Relax kid she's alright now, just banged up, but I think you should come see her…it's a little hard to explain." There was a brief silence.

"Where are you?"

"We're at the Central City Hospital."

"I'm on my way." Wally hangs up and based on how his voice cracked Barry assumes his nephew will be here in less than 10 minutes..using his speed of course. Barry decides to wait for him in the main lobby. Barry finds the lobby, but as soon as he goes to sit down his nephew comes rushing in, probably running at a normal human pace a mile away. Wally has red cheeks from wind-burn.

"Wally…" As soon as he hears his name Wally runs to his Uncle nearly out of breath… _he must have been going fast._

"Where is she!?"

"Come on." Barry leads the softly panting young adult to the hospital room holding his young sister. Just as they reach the room Barry turns to face Wally standing in front of the door. "She's sleeping right now, if you can wait till she wakes up that would be best." Wally could only stare at his little sister through the window, sleeping in the white washed room. Someone hurt his baby sister.

"You still haven't told me what the hell happened!" Barry takes a moment to gather his thoughts then looks at Wally with a serious face, something rare for the scarlet speedster. "Uncle Barry?"

"Wally…does your father get along with May?" A flash of confusion passes Wally's face.

"As far as I know things between them are fine, I mean they aren't super close but …why does that matter?" All Barry has to do is look at Wally with a furrowed brow. "No. No. There is no way dad would do this." Barry's response was silence as he looked to his shoes. "No." Wally was persistent in believing the father that loved his family so much would never hurt his own daughter like this. Wally pushes past Barry and goes to open the door to his sisters hospital room. Barry snatches his wrist away from the door and pulls him close so no one hears their conversation.

"Listen to me Wally. She said he did this. She's terrified, you have no idea how long it took us to get her to tell us what happened. If you go in their and claim she is lying she will break and there would be no chance of getting our little girl back. Think about it Wally, has she been acting different lately? When was the last time you saw her?" Wally couldn't believe it but his uncle was right. Since Wally started college he rarely had time to visit his sister. They used to spend all their time together, but now he spent all his free time with Artemis. A flash of guilt washed over Wally as he thought about how he has been away from his sister for so long that he didn't notice anything was different.

"It's just hard to believe, you know? He's always treated us so well."

"From what we saw and heard, this has been happening far longer than any of us realized." Wally was near tears at the thought and slowly turned back to the door. Barry let's go of his nephew and steps behind him. Wally opens the door and got a better look at the one thing that could fully break his heart. His little sister lay curled up on her side facing her aunt with bandaged feet sticking out from under the small hospital blanket. The IV in her left hand gradually drips, what he assumes is morphine, into her blood stream. He vowed on the day she was born to protect her and up until now he thought he was successful. The bullies he's scared away, the scraped knees he's kissed all better—all of that means nothing if he couldn't protect her from the thing that was hurting her the most. Iris looks up to see her nephew standing in the door teary eyed and shaking. Barry signals to his wife to leave the siblings alone for a while. Iris gently lays the sleeping girls hand back onto the bed and stands up. Before leaving she softly cups her nephews face and kissing his forehead. The Allen's leave the room and quietly close the door to let the youngest West's comfort each other.

Wally carefully walks around the bed to the chair his aunt resided in. As soon as he gets into view of her face he immediately stumbles back and leans against the wall behind him. Her face while cleansed of blood is still fresh with bruises and the cut below her eye has butterfly bandaged on it, not deep enough to require stitches. She looks so at peace while she sleeps, but how long has she been feigning peace while her father beat her.

Just as Wally began to walk over to his sister he heard a quiet sneeze come from her small body. Her sneeze woke her up and she starts to sit up. Seeing her struggle to lift herself Wally rushes over and puts an arm around her to prop up some pillows behind her. May looks at her brother with bright green eyes and a small smile appears. "Hey kid. How're you feeling?"

"Wally?"

"Hey." As soon as May realizes her brother knows of her situation she ducks her head in shame and her smile disappears. "May?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What in the world are you sorry for?"

"I've ruined it. I've ruined the family and now dad's gonna go to jail and mom's gonna hate me and you're never gonna talk to me again." Hearing her quivering voice made Wally furrow his brow. He wasn't mad at his little sister, rather upset that she would blame herself for this.

"May. Look at me." Wally draws May's eyes to his own and stared at her with fierce determination, gently laying his hands on her own. "None of this is your fault. What dad did…it's monstrous. Whatever happens after this, you are not to blame. I am so glad you said something, and I'm disappointed in myself for not seeing it. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me." May looks at him with a confused and curious gaze. "If I payed more attention, if I spent more time with you, maybe I could have seen what was happening. I could've stopped this before it got this bad, before he put you in here." Tears now freely flowed from Wally's face.

"No! That's not fair, he went out of his way to hit me where no one could see. This time he just …slipped up." Wally flinched. May made it sound like it was okay that she was being abused, as long as no one knew.

"How can I not blame myself when he was hurting you so much and you felt you couldn't tell me."

"It wasn't just you, I was too scared to tell anyone. He said my punishment would be worse if I even hinted at us not being a perfect family." It was May's turn to release her pent up tears.

"Bastard." Wally let out a defeated sigh. "How about this. I won't blame myself if you don't blame yourself." Wally lets a small and sweet smile appear on his tired face, something which May soon copies, both of them featuring wet tear tracks on their cheeks.

"Okay. Deal."

"That's my girl." Wally glances at the clock then begins to tuck May back into bed, adding a warmer blanket Iris had packed. "Now, get some sleep. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

"How long are you gonna stay?"

"As long as you need me." May begins to drift into sleep as she mutters.

"I'll always need you."

"Then I'll always be here." Wally stays by her side through the night and falls asleep with his head on their clasped hands. The next morning Artemis came to the hospital bringing with her a new version of May's favorite book series. May is stunned by the kindness she is shown and is hesitant to take the book, thinking she has an ulterior motive behind the gesture. However, the warm smile adorning the archers face encourages May to hold the book and read the title.

" _Because of Win-Dixie,_ this is the first book I ever read."

"I know." Artemis laughs kindly. "Wally told me, if he hadn't I would never know what kind of books you like." She winks at the bed ridden May. "At first I wanted to get you a giant stuffed animal, a gag-gift I guess, but Wally said you never part with that pink teddy he got you." May holds the book to her chest and plays with the stitching of the binding.

"Thank you for thinking of me." A brief look of pain crosses Artemis' face as she realizes May rarely gets attention from her family and even notice how over the past year Wally has spent less and less time with his little sister. Artemis moves slowly, as to not startle May, and sits on her bed facing the hurt red-head.

"May, what happened to you, how you were treated by your parents does not equivocate how every one feels. Your aunt loves you more than I think you know and your uncle and brother, those two talk more about you than anyone else. I remember before Wally and I retired he came running into the mountain with a huge smile on his face bragging on how his little sister taught herself how to play the piano and she was so good at it!" A proud laugh escapes her mouth and May blushes and hugs her knees with a hidden smile. "I think my favorite moment though was when Batman was in the middle of a briefing and in comes Flash, interrupting the whole plan to say how he cant do monitor duty that night because he was having game night with his little niece. The look on B's face, I thought he would kill him then and there." The two girls burst into laughter at the imagination of the bats face of annoyance and anger. Their laughter slowly dies down and Artemis gives a motherly look to May and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "See? People love you. People care about you." May looks up with a bright smile and teary eyes.

"Thank you Artemis." The two share a sisterly hug and they watch a movie until May falls asleep, then Artemis quietly leaves and meets up with Wally for dinner at a near by diner.

The couple sits at a booth near the window viewing the lake next to the hospital. Artemis is her usual self and content with her conversation with May, Wally however was quiet and subdued, a rare thing for the energetic speedster. His mind was so scattered he didn't even notice Artemis talking to him. "Wally?…Wally!"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? I've been talking to you for like 5 minutes and you've just been starring out the window." Wally rubs his exhausted face and rings his hands.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Come on Wally, I know you better than that." Artemis gives him an understanding smile as she folds her hands waiting for him to tell her what's bothering him, although she already had an idea of what it was.

"Why didn't she tell me?" His response was quiet and breathy as if he was asking himself more than he was his girlfriend. "I thought I showed her how much I care and that she could always come to me for everything, and how did I not notice her turn away from everyone, how quiet and shy she became. I must be a really awful brother, huh?" Artemis softly takes his hand in hers from across the table.

"That's not true and you know it. She went out of her way to make sure no one knew what was going on. She's a lot smarter than anyone gives her credit for. She knows how to play people and says what they want to hear."

"I know, I just…I wish I could have helped her."

"Now you can. Be there as often as you can, let her know she's not alone, because now she needs friends and family more than ever." Wally smiled with a strength and determination Artemis had rarely seen.

"You're right. I'm not letting her be alone anymore, she's gonna know she's loved and cared about. Plus Aunt Iris will probably spoil her now." The two giggle softly at the idea of a happy May surrounded by baked goods and new things, the way a normal 13 year old should be. The two continue their dinner with a new inspiration to help the teenager and a hope of a better future for her.

Back in the hospital May was fast asleep snuggled up with her pink teddy and Aunt Iris' quilt. Outside the door stood Iris and Barry discussing with a social worker their next move. The three of them had a brief idea of what to do, but going about it was a different story.

"So after the court case we can get full custody of her?"

"Well you can apply for custody as soon as possible, but you might have to fight Mrs West for her. Although I sincerely doubt the court will show any sympathy towards her, considering she was aware of the abuse."

"So we can take her home?"

"When she's cleared by the hospital, yes. Then we will go to court to determine where she will stay permanently, after Rudolph's trial of course, who most likely will be found guilty, especially with all the evidence present." The woman's phone rang as she finished her conversation. Taking her phone from her hip she nods her head towards the couple. "I'll keep in touch Mr and Mrs Allen. Have a nice night, or morning rather." Iris and Barry thank the woman as she walks away. The two then stand silently in the hallway in front of their nieces room until the silence becomes too eery.

"Neither of us are gonna be get much sleep tonight are we?" The blonde speedster responds to his wife with a quiet grunt. He then feels a gentle tug on his arm towards the red heads door. "Come on, she'll want us there when she wakes up." Barry nods his head and the two enter the bland white hospital room, lucky for them it was a private one, curtesy of Iris' job which gave her special opportunities, including a bad rep for the hospital if they didn't do what the worrying aunt said. Looking down at the sleeping girl the two feel an overwhelming wave of guilt. May has a small bandage under her eye hiding the stitches that held the soft pale skin together. Her feet were tightly bandaged sporting at least 50 sutures per foot, with an IV stuck into her skinny hand supplying pain killers and nutrients, those denied by her parents. The Allen's after taking in their poor niece for the second time that night pull two chairs next to each other near the bed. Iris rests her head on her husbands shoulder and he relaxes as well laying his head on his wife's. Not even 30 minutes later the two are fast asleep leaving the only sound in the room Barry's soft snoring and the hum of the machines near May's injured body.

May was in the hospital for two more days until she was finally released into the hands of her aunt and uncle. Rudolph was brought to court immediately and the trial lasted nearly two weeks. The Allens, Wally and Artemis all attended every session, supporting their beloved friend, niece and sister while she had to painfully recall every torture she was put through. For the first few days of questioning May showed her strength and described every punishment forced on her and every punch she took with bravery and intelligence not even stuttering a single word. Even when other witnesses took the stand, such as neighbors and teachers, she held her tongue and hid her disappointment, especially when one neighbor said that children are too soft and need a bit of corporal punishment to learn their lesson. Rudolph plead guilty from the very beginning and even after the court was shown the hospital pictures and bloodied clothes he claimed she was 'just a clumsy girl'. It was half way through when she finally broke down. "Now Miss West your teachers have told the court that they noticed your change in attitude and new bruises and approached you with concerns. Is this true?"

"Yes sir." Her small voice echoed through the court house. The lawyer nods and continues his questioning.

"Now when approached by these teachers and friends how did you respond?"

"I told them I fell from a tree, and that I tripped a lot when I ran around."

"Did they believe you?" Warm memories were brought to May's mind as she recalled their insistence to help her and that it had to be something else.

"No sir. They kept coming to me, they were really nice."

"And your story never changed, it was always that you fell from trees and tripped?"

"Yes sir."

"So from what I understand you claimed you were just clumsy?"

"Um, I guess so."

"Which is the same thing your father said when he was questioned earlier this week." There was a quiet moment in the court room as May's heart began to beat faster, scared of the intimidating lawyer defending her father. "Now May, how long has this 'abuse' been going on?"

"Um, since I was 9 sir."

"And no one ever noticed until this past year? Your brother, who still lived in the house at the time never heard or saw anything?"

"He was good at hiding the marks sir, and he made sure Wally wasn't home because he knew Wally would do something about it."

"Or maybe this is all a ruse."

"What?"

"If this has been going on for nearly 4 years how is it that you come forth now, why now and not before? Unless he was never abusing you, perhaps this is all some sort of lie for you to get some attention?"

"What?! No, sir! Why would I do that?" May began to shake as the court room became more tense.

"Well after questioning all those people it seems that you never were their priority, or rather they didn't pay as much attention to you as you like, especially considering nearly no one noticed this abuse. Now that you finally have some visible bruises and injures from clumsy behavior when else would you have a perfect opportunity to get some popularity amongst your family and friends."

"That's a lie!"

"Is it? It all seems rather suspicious to me."

"No!" Tears were streaming down May's reddened face as she stood from her seat on the stand. "I have lived in fear for so long! Terrified that if I said anything I would be punished ten times over what I already was going through, so I said nothing! I kept it to myself for years and so did my father and my mother. He made sure every time he hit me and kicked me and burned me that he did so in a place no one would see! My stomach, my thighs, my back! The doctors showed evidence of past scars there for at least a year or two that were clearly cigarette butts! Are you just ignoring that evidence?! Or are you just as evil as my father?!" She attempted to calm herself as she sat back down and the court was shocked at this child's outburst. "The reason I finally came forward with the abuse was because I was afraid that this time he would finally kill me. His punches became stronger, he started to hit my face, not caring where my wounds would show, he would throw me around like a rag doll and wouldn't let me eat most days. I was so hungry and that night…the night I called for help, I-I was bleeding a lot. No one ever warns you how much your head can bleed. I started to get light headed and when I was sitting in that park I was debating going home or calling the police. In the end I had a feeling the cops wouldn't believe me."

"That was a poor assumption to make."

"Was it? You don't believe me. Plus I was taught for years that adults have the higher authority and no one would ever believe a brat kid over an adult, especially her own father, who already had a son who was wanted and loved my the whole family. I knew that if I called the cops they would take me home, give me back to my father and that would be my last night on Earth. So no, it wasn't a poor assumption, and I pray that the court can understand where my predicament lies and that I only want to live without fear, I want to be happy and free, not a prisoner and slave in my own home." The only sound heard after that were sniffles and the eyes of most were cast down in pity for the poor girl.

"No more questions your honor." The lawyers voice was quiet as even he realized that his client had no chance of being found innocent.

After 4 court dates over the course of a month the trial finally came to an end with Rudolph being found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in prison and Mary West being found guilty of neglect and sentenced to 90 days of community service. Along with this Barry and Iris were given full custody of their niece and were excited to have the young girl in their home. However, they both knew it would be hard work to bring her back into a normal life style, a lifestyle built on love and support.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and Wally was helping his sister move into her new home with their aunt and uncle. Mary was away all day either too guilty to see her little girl or too angry, they were never sure. It's been two days since the trial and May has said little to none since then. The two were moving along and getting boxes packed into Wally's car when Wally suddenly stopped and stared at the ground as if looking for something to say. May noticed this and turned to him, putting the box she was holding on the sidewalk. "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" May was taken back by this question and was hesitant to answer. "Why did you keep it a secret from me? You know I would have helped you I would do anything to protect you. Did you think I wouldn't believe you?"

"No that's not it. I just…" May wavered off and Wally was quick to sit with her on the hood of the silver car.

"Come on May. You can trust me, and I wanna know…I wanna know if it was my fault. If I could have stopped this." May whipped around to look at her brother.

"No! That's not it at all!"

"Then what was it?" May curled back into herself and lowered her gaze to the cement.

"I was scared."

"Of what? I wouldn't have let him touch you again, not after what you told me."

"I know…that's why I was scared." Wally gave her a confused look and waited for her to continue. "If you interfered then dad would be mad at you and then mom always sides with dad so then they would have hated both of us. I…I didn't want to ruin your relationship with them too." After a few moments of staring at his withdrawn sister Wally quickly pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"Your heart is too big May. You care too much for other people that you don't look out for yourself… and that scares me." Wally pulled back to look at May's now tear stained face, he didn't even realize she was crying. "You are a smart, friendly and kind girl, but from now on you have to promise me you'll look out for yourself a little better, okay?" May wiped the tears from her face and gave a small grin to her loving brother.

"Okay." Wally chuckled at her silly grin and ruffled her curly red hair.

"That's my girl."


End file.
